Arlington Heights installed new lighting in the heart of the village's downtown business district. The new lights hang over the intersection of Campbell Street and Vail Avenue.

Arlington Heights installed new lighting in the heart of the village's downtown business district. The new lights hang over the intersection of Campbell Street and Vail Avenue. (Brian O'Mahoney / Pioneer Press)

Illuminating the heart of downtown Arlington Heights as a go-to destination for residents and visitors, officials recently flipped the switch on a $54,000 light ceiling.

Crowning the intersection of Vail Avenue and Campbell Street, the 25-foot-tall light ceiling is strung from four new aluminum poles and affixed with 220 LED lights that are timed to switch on at dusk and extinguish at 1 a.m., according to Charles Witherington-Perkins, the village’s director of planning and community development.

“Our intent was for the light ceiling to be tastefully designed and installed with good aesthetics that would continue to add an element of fun and excitement downtown for residents and visitors,” Witherington-Perkins said.

Earlier this year, the Village Board approved paying $34,225 to Oswego-based electrical contractors Utility Dynamics Corp., and about $20,000 for construction, including installation of the new poles, Witherington-Perkins added.

The two previous street poles, which were not tall enough to support the new light ceiling, are now in storage and can be used again in the future as needed, he said.

While the new light fixture in some ways resembles similar displays strung across residents’ backyard decks and patios in town, Village Manager Randall Recklaus said the $54,000 expense for the project was “an investment” in the village’s downtown.

“We do these things as part of an overall plan, and there will be more to come on this whole effort,” Recklaus said. “The village’s downtown is an economic engine that creates revenue.”

Recklaus added that “when more people go to our downtown businesses, we have more funds from (sales taxes) to pay for all the things we need to do for residents, as best as we can.”

Mike Caringella, the owner of Armand’s Pizzeria, which sits just shy of the new light ceiling, said he has not yet heard a lot of comments from customers about the new display.

“Whether it’s going to draw more people … it hasn’t been up long enough for me to be able to tell,” Caringella said. “But I have no problem with it, and it serves the purpose of lighting up the intersection.”